Enjoy this lemony pasta with a glass of chardonnay or a sparkling water and lemon!
(1) 10 oz. can of baby clams (I used Bumble Bee Whole Shucked Clams)
2 tsp olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 lemon, zested
1 small shallot, minced
1/2 Cup White Wine
6 oz whole wheat linguine*
1 oz. parmesan cheese, shredded
Salt, Pepper & Red Pepper Flake, to taste
Parsley, chopped
*This is an approximate estimate of how much pasta I used. I didn’t measure the pasta. No one measures pasta but sociopaths.
Set a medium sized pot of water to boil seasoned generously with salt. Add pasta and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes depending on stove power.
Mince garlic and shallot finely. Set aside.
Heat 1 tsp olive oil slowly over medium heat. When hot, add garlic and shallot and cook until aromatic, about 1 minute.
Open can of clams and drain off about 1/3 of the cans liquid, reserving the rest.
Add clams with leftover juices and white wine to the pan with garlic and shallot and simmer on medium-low. Cover and simmer until juices have reduced, about 5 minutes.
Ladle about 1/4 cup of pasta water into the clam mixture. Simmer for 1-2 more minutes, stirring well.
Add pasta to the pan along with salt, pepper, and red pepper flake. Zest the skin of (1) lemon into pasta. Half the lemon and squeeze 1 half worth of juice into pasta as well. (If you would like a stronger lemon flavor, feel free to juice entire lemon into the pan)
Toss pasta with parmesan and parsley. Serve warm. Enjoy with a board of burrata cheese drizzled in honey and a light green salad.
I’m a huge fan of fish, and while I would normally opt for an oily fish like salmon for dinner, this mild cod fillet is truly great over potatoes with green vegetables. Cod has several advantages over the fish: it’s cheaper, it’s easy to cook and cooks quickly, and it appeals to your friends and family who aren’t quite as into seafood.
These horseradish and goat cheese smash potatoes might sound aggressive, but they’re softer than you think, especially after they’re mixing in with some leeks sautéed in butter. This creates a luscious, fluffy side dish that stays hearty. While I chose to serve green beans on the side, feel free to cook your favorite bitter winter green directly into your potatoes!
For the Cod:
2, 5 oz cod fillets
1/4 cup all purpose flour
3 tbsp panko or cornmeal
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp lemon-pepper
1 tsp paprika
salt/pepper
For the Potatoes:
1 leek, roughly chopped and cleaned thoroughly
2 tbsp butter, softened
1-2lbs Yukon gold potatoes
1/4 cup half-and-half or non-dairy milk
4 garlic cloves, sliced
2 tbsp horseradish
1/4 cup goat cheese crumbles
For the Tomato Sauce:
2-3 roma tomatoes, halved
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp half-and-half
1 tsp smoked paprkia
1 garlic clove, minced
Preheat oven to 400º. Half tomatoes and place on a baking sheet, drizzled with oil. When oven reaches temperature, roast for about 30 minutes or until soft.
Add potatoes to a medium sized pot and cover with water. Add a generous portion of salt to the water, and bring to a boil. Boil until potatoes are falling apart, about 25-30 minutes.
Add flour, panko, and seasonings to a paper bag or to-go container. Add cod fillets to the bag and shake gently, coating the fish in a very light breading. Shake and excess flour off the fillets and set aside.
In a medium non-stick skillet, heat 1 tsp oil over medium high heat. When pan is hot, add cod fillets and cook for about 2 minutes on both sides, but do not cook it all the way through. When both sides are browned, remove cod to a baking sheet.
When tomatoes are done roasting, set arise. Add cod to the oven at 400º and bake for 10 minutes or until flakey and cooked through.
Meanwhile, melt 1 tbsp butter in a large sautée pan. Once melted, add chopped leeks to the pan. (NOTE: Be sure to thoroughly clean your leeks before cooking to ensure that all grit has been removed from the plant.)
Sautée leeks over medium heat until soft, about 2-3 minutes. Add garlic to the pan and stir constantly to avoid any possibility of garlic burning.
Once potatoes are soft, add them directly to the pan with he leeks. Using a potato smasher or a large spoon, smash potatoes into the leeks, garlic and butter. Stir in half-and-half, horseradish, and goat cheese. Feel free to add more butter and half and half if you want your potatoes creamier!
While potatoes and cod are finishing, combine tomatoes in a blender or food processor with olive oil, half-and-half, paprika, salt, pepper, and 1 finely minced clove of garlic. Process on high unit smooth. Pass tomato mixture through a fine strainer to remove any leftover solids and set aside.
Once cod has cooked through, remove from oven and allow to cool slightly. Spoon potatoes into the center of a large plate. Rest one cod fillet over the potatoes and spoon tomato sauce over the top of the fish. Sprinkle with extra salt and pepper if desired.
Serve with chopped parsley and lemon over the fish. Perfectly suited to be eaten by itself or served alongside green vegetables, paired with a glass of crisp white wine.
It’s soup/stew season which means it’s SQUASH SEASON. Squash are one of the most popular ingredients in cold weather recipes, but it’s a pretty big category. What separates butternut squash from acorn? Or spaghetti? Or yellow? Use this guide to find the perfect variety for your dinner tonight!
Butternut Squash
Butternut squash is probably the most popular version of gourd, at least on Pinterest. This squash is great for cooking and roasting, and it can add a pleasant sweetness to your fall dinners, similar to the effect you get from sweet potatoes. This squash is easy to peel, which is a huge plus for if you’re looking to chop it up for a stew or side.
I like this squash cubed and roasted in the oven with herbs like sage and thyme as a side to roasted pork chops. This is also my favorite version to puree into soup or make into vegan autumn steaks on the grill. Use this squash in any savory or sweet dish this fall.
2. Acorn Squash
Acorn squash is characterized by its extremely savory and nutty flavor when cooked. It is a deep forest green that is streaked with a bright yellow-orange making it a great choice if you’re making a meal to impress your partner/parents/ex you know you shouldn’t still follow but totally do. Look for acorn squash that has just a touch of orange though—too much means it’s overripe!
This squash is deal for baking and stuffing. I like mine roasted and wrapped in prosciutto or baked with a vegan cornmeal stuffing. 9be looking in the next few weeks for these recipes!)
3. Spaghetti Squash
Okay, this guy is a little weird. Not bad weird, just not like any other squash you’ve ever seen. This squash has a stringy texture on the inside meaning that after it is baked it can be used as a pasta substitute. I will say right now, I don’t condone the substitution of pasta in dishes in order to restrict carbs. carbs are important and past is delicious. But I do think spaghetti squash is a good substitute in certain recipes because vegan pasta is criminally expensive.
Cut the large squash in half and bake it with oil. Then simply use a fork to scrape out the insides to use at your will in dishes such as squash carbonara or lemon curry spaghetti squash with seared shrimp.
4. Pumpkin
Pumpkin is delicious and if you’re a pumpkin hater, I feel bad for you. The version we’re most familiar with is the sugar pumpkin, and it’s great for literally everything. Pie? Delicious. Soup? Yes, yes, yes! Roasted for an entree or side? Fuck yeah. Sugar pumpkins are just a little sweet, similar to butternut squash and sweet potato, so it can be treated with herbs and salt for savory dishes and brown sugar and spices for dessert. I’m especially fond of this squash in soups like pumpkin and peanut soup, or roasted into a pumpkin gratin alongside roasted chicken or eggplant and lentils.
Be looking in the blood in the coming weeks for some A+ recipes using all these squash types!
Octopus tentacle might not be dominating American menus, but this seafood dish a hallmark of Southern Italian and Spanish cuisine. While this mollusk might be a new dinner item for your kitchen, it’s much easier to cook than you think! This hot roasted tomato and fennel broth is perfect for the cold nights coming in autumn.
There are two different routes you can take with octopus: pre-cooked or raw. Which one I use often depends on availability. I can find raw octopus at my local asian market, but there are times when cooked varieties are the only tentacles available. When using pre-cooked octopus, be sure to cut the cook time way down to avoid the aggressively rubbery texture most people think of when it comes to octopus and squid.
The first step to creating this recipe is to marinade the octopus tentacles in a mix of finely minced fennel bulb, olive oil, fennel seed, cumin seeds, red pepper flake, shaved garlic, and parsley. Combine tentacles with herbs, spices, and oils in a ziplock bag and massage together to be sure the tentacles are well covered. Store in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before cooking, but preferably closer to 6 hours.
Roast tomatoes and garlic on a sheet pan in the oven at 400º for about 30 minutes, or until the tomatoes caramelize slightly and the garlic is fully roasted.
I like to use ripe Roma tomatoes for this recipe because they’re usually the cheapest option that is also the most consistent. However, any whole, ripe tomato will work perfectly for this dish!
While your tomatoes are roasting, thickly chop half of a large sweet onion. This tomato broth relies on large pieces of onion to give it more texture, so be sure to stay away from finely chopped onion this time! After the tomatoes and garlic have roasted, set them to the side until cooled.
Add 1 tbsp oil to a large pan on medium-high heat. Add the onions to the pan and coat in the oil, gently frying until they become translucent. Remove the roasted garlic from their paper skins and add to the pan with the onions. (Roasted garlic tends to form a paste texture during the roasting process, so I like to use a spoon for this!)
Sauté the garlic and onions until onions begin to slightly brown on the edges. Deglaze the pan with white cooking wine and scrape any blackened bits from the bottom of the pan. Using you hards, crush the roasted tomatoes and add to the pan with the onions and garlic.
Stir often and cook down the tomato for about 3 minutes. Add stock and bring broth to a light boil.
Once your broth is boiling, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, on the back burner. Season with salt, pepper, smoked paprika, red pepper flake, and cumin to taste.
Remove octopus from your ziplock bag, and season the meat generously with salt and pepper. Pour 1 tbsp of oil from the marinade into a hot cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Sear octopus on both sides for about 3 minutes each—using a separate skillet to press the octopus will help get a harder char on the mollusk.
Once octopus has been charred on either side, remove it from the cast iron and place it into the hot simmering tomato broth. Be sure to cover the tentacle completely in liquid. Cook on medium-low, covered, until done and tender, about 1 hour.
Place Octopus in the middle of the plate and spoon hot broth over the meat. Garnish with a fennel strand and chopped parsley. Serve with crusty bread and crispy potatoes or a crisp green salad and white wine!
Octopus Braised in Tomato-Cumin-Fennel Broth
2 lbs octopus tentacles
1/2 small fennel bulb, finely minced
1 bulb garlic, whole
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
4-5 ripe roma tomatoes, halved
1/2 sweet onion, roughly chopped into large pieces
2 cups vegetable or seafood stock
1/4 cup white cooking wine
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp fennel seed
1 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
salt/pepper/cumin/smoked paprika/red pepper flake, to taste
Marinade the octopus tentacles in a mix of finely minced fennel bulb, olive oil, fennel seed, cumin seeds, red pepper flake, shaved garlic, and parsley. Combine tentacles with herbs, spices, and oils in a ziplock bag and massage together to be sure the tentacles are well covered. Store in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before cooking, but preferably closer to 6 hours.
Cut tomatoes in half and place on a baking sheet with garlic in the middle. Drizzle with olive oil and season lightly with salt. Roast tomatoes and garlic on a sheet pan in the oven at 400º for about 30 minutes, or until the tomatoes caramelize slightly and the garlic is fully roasted.
While your tomatoes are roasting, thickly chop half of a large sweet onion. This tomato broth relies on large pieces of onion to give it more texture, so be sure to stay away from finely chopped onion this time! After the tomatoes and garlic have roasted, set them to the side until cooled.
Add 1 tbsp oil to a large pan on medium-high heat. Add the onions to the pan and coat in the oil, gently frying until they become translucent. Remove the roasted garlic from their paper skins and add to the pan with the onions.
Sauté the garlic and onions until onions begin to slightly brown on the edges. Deglaze the pan with white cooking wine and scrape any blackened bits from the bottom of the pan. Using you hards, crush the roasted tomatoes and add to the pan with the onions and garlic.
Stir often and cook down the tomato for about 3 minutes. Add stock and bring broth to a light boil.
Once your broth is boiling, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, on the back burner. Season with salt, pepper, smoked paprika, red pepper flake, and cumin to taste.
Remove octopus from your ziplock bag, and season the meat generously with salt and pepper. Pour 1 tbsp of oil from the marinade into a hot cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.
Sear octopus on both sides for about 3-5 minutes each—using a separate skillet to press the octopus will help get a harder char on the mollusk.
Remove it from the cast iron and place it into the hot simmering tomato broth. Be sure to cover the tentacle completely in liquid. Cook on medium-low, covered, until done and tender, about 1 hour.
Place Octopus in the middle of the plate and spoon hot broth over the meat. Garnish with a fennel strand and chopped parsley.
Canned food has been a lifesaver for families going into fall and winter for over a century. While normally we think of canned vegetables as a pantry item we can’t live without, canned seafood tends to be an afterthought, if not downright dismissed.
These canned sardines are packed with protein and, stewed with shallots, garlic, onions, tomatoes, and fresh herbs they will suddenly become your new favorite dinner entree. Coming together in just thirty minutes, this is the perfect dinner entree for when you want to cook something comforting but don’t want to spend three hours in the kitchen.
Canned Sardines in Garlic, Shallot, and Tomato Sauce
1 can sardines, packed in olive oil
1 (16 oz) can diced tomatoes
1/2 shallot, finely diced
1/2 sweet onion, finely diced
5 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1/4 cup vegetable stock
1 tbsp white wine
1 lemon, zested
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt/Pepper
1 tsp Red Pepper Flake
1 tsp Oregano
Fresh Thyme, to taste
Heat oil over medium heat and allow to warm in the pan for about 1 minute.
Add onion and shallot to the oil and cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and thyme sprigs, sautéing until fragrant, about 45 seconds.
Drain the oil from the can of sardines and reserve for later. Add sardines to the pan and stir into the onion/garlic mixture, coating the sardine pieces in garlic and oil.
Deglaze the pan with the wine and scrape any charred bits at the bottom of the pan into the fish and onions.
Add tomatoes, sardine oil, and stock to the pan with the fish. Bring mixture to a simmer and cook, covered, for about 10 minutes until the sauce has thickened, stirring often.
Remove the lid and reduce to low heat. Stir in lemon zest, oregano, and red pepper. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve with warm, crusty bread, a crisp green salad, and a glass of Italian wine such as Barbera or Grillo.
Best Shot Co. 